The Opelousas courier., 1887-10-01
SWORDFfSHING.
Manner of Catching the Fish,
and Implements Used.
An Exciting Sport Not Unat-
tended With Danger.

Swordfshing is not one of the aquatic
sports in which the landsman visitor t.
the island named for the Dutch ex
plorer, Adrian Biloxi, can participate
writes a correspondent from Block Is
land. He may troll for bluefish, and i
they are ''bitish," as ca skipper call
it, catch some; he may jig for mackerel
he may drift for founders, and he ma,
indulge in other piscatorial diversions
but swordfshing is reserved for the ex
perienced old salt.
The rig is quite simple. The spear
mar stands at the extremity of the bow
spirit in what is called the pulpit. The
pulpit is variously constructed. The
simplest form consists of a strong per
pendicular iron rod, as high as a mans
waist, fastened at the lower end into the
bowsprit and at the upper end bearing
a half circle of iron which fits around
the harpooner's waist. A strap com
pletes the circle and holds the occupant
of the pulpit safely.
1t requires three men at least to man a
swordfish vessel. One man sits upon the
~crosstree or ''stretcher" at the junction
of the mainmast and topmast, and keeps
a lookout. A second maneacts as helms
man and the third occupies the Spulpit.
The lookout sights the swordfsh lying at
the surface of the water, lazily basking
in the sun, the animals back and fins
being well out. As it is generally when
they are summing themselves that they
are caught, it follows that a cloudy day
is not favorable for the pursuit. On a
clear day they come up about o a. m.
They are very listless-untll strickland
the vessel approaches until the fish is al
most under the bowsprit, when the har-
pooner strikes, and then there are excite
ment and danger.
The harpoon is a curious implement.
1t is made in two parts, the pole and the
spear. The pole is made, perhaps, an
inch and a half or two inches in diane
ter and six or eight feet long. The spear
is a detached piece of brass about four
inches long, shaped like an arrow and
looking like a miniature weather vane.
The rope is attached to this in the mid
die. 1t is then fitted upon the end of
the pole, point downward. When the
harpooner strikes he drives the Raffpoon
into, and sometimes through, the fish,
ard withdraws the pole. The little
brass spear which is left in the body
turns crosswise as soon as the line taut-
ems and cannot slip.
Upon being struck the fish is thrown
into a fury. Sometimes in its dartings
it will plunge itss sword through the
skif. Our shipper once had such an ex-
perience and he stopped the hole with
his foot until be had secured his game,
and then mended the fracture. The
captain, to illustrate the force of the fish !
said that he was once On a mackerel
schooner, when a swordfish struck her
drove its sword in to its ewes.
broke it off, and foated up to the YES
'els sidedead. It did this in ''breach-
ng" and not in a premeditated attack.
3reaching is swimming swiftly to the
surface, leaping into the air and diving
o sound the depth of the water. The
ish changes its course with difficulty.
nd the attack Just mentioned was
doubtless unintentional. The captain
he had seen them breach fifteen and
wenty feet into the air.
The fish weigh from 200 to 500 pounds
piece. Your correspondent saw one
7hich had a sword about four feet long.
he sword is solid bone. runs out
from the snout, is about three
lches wide at the head and tapers
radually to a round@ extremity an
lch and a half wide. The fish sells for
8 cents apound at retail4n the parket,
nd is a great delicacy. The fishermen,
oWever, obtain only from 8 to 6 cents
pound according to the abundance of
he catch.-Exchange.